Roundup: Palo Verde blanks Mojave 52-0 in Northwest Division opener

By Las Vegas Sun Staff (contact)

Published Friday, Sept. 4, 2009 | 10:10 p.m.

Updated Friday, Sept. 4, 2009 | 11:34 p.m.

Brandon Wright and Chapell Thomas each had a pair of touchdown runs and Palo Verde led 38-0 at halftime in a 52-0 victory against host Mojave in the Northwest Division opener for both schools.

Tyrone Blake paced Palo Verde (2-0) with 139 yards rushing on 10 carries, including a 54-yard touchdown run on the first play of the third quarter.

Wright, who had four carries for 82 yards, also had a 54-yard touchdown run. Thomas scored on a 40-yard run and had three carries for 47 yards.

“We had to get better this week. We couldn’t afford to take a step back,” Palo Verde coach Darwin Rost said.

Palo Verde, which improved to 36-6 since 2006, has never lost to Mojave (0-1). Both schools opened in 1996 and they annually play for the shirt — a football jersey that is half Palo Verde, half Mojave.

“More important (than the shirt) was that this was our league opener and you can’t afford to drop a game in our league,” Rost said.

The foursome of Blake, Wright, Thomas and Ernest Hall proved too much for Mojave to handle. It’s a trend Rost said he feels has the potential to happen the rest of the season.

“All four of those backs are so different,” Rost said. “Brandon Wright is so quick on his feet, Chapell is a slasher, Tyrone is the all-purpose back and Ernest provides the power.”

— Ray Brewer

Faith Lutheran falls in its first 4A game

Turnovers killed Faith Lutheran in its first game against top-notch competition.

After falling behind early, the Crusaders turned the ball over three times inside their own 20-yard-line and Legacy made them pay, punching it in each time and winning 39-6.

Quarterback Devin Wiedemann connected for touchdowns on each of his three completions, and running back DeShae Edwards rushed for 120 yards and two touchdowns.

“We were a little sloppy offensively still,” Legacy coach David Snyder said. “Still, we got the job done.”

Joe Portaro connected with Don Pearson in the third quarter for Faith Lutheran’s only touchdown of the game.

“Our kids played hard, made some mistakes and we’ll fix those,” Faith Lutheran coach Jacob Kothe said. “We feel if you take those turnovers back, it’s a whole different ball game

— Anthony Fenech

Cimarron beats Cheyenne thanks to a big second half

Cimarron-Memorial beat Cheyenne 44-7 in the Northwest Division opener for both schools.

“Our execution on defense, especially in the second half, was unacceptable,” Cheyenne coach Perryn Hale said.

Senior running back Stephen Nixon came through on big plays for Cimarron, but despite missed tackles, Hale was satisfied with containing Nixon.

“A player like that, you can’t stop him, you can only contain him and I thought we did a decent job of that.”

— Anthony Fenech

Bishop Gorman shuts out Durango

Shaquille Powell’s 56-yard fumble return at the end of the first half for Bishop Gorman all but closed the door on Durango, which suffered a 31-0 loss.

The Gaels led 21-0 at the half thanks to Powell’s defensive touchdown and an additional five-yard rushing touchdown. He ended with two rushing touchdowns and 109 yards on the ground.

Victor Belen also surpassed the century mark rushing, going for 102 yards and scoring a touchdown.

Durango was held to 124 total yards.

— Anthony Fenech

Senior quarterback propels Western High to victory

The scoreboard could have read, “Dante Warren 20, Pahrump Valley 14.”

The Warriors senior quarterback “threw our team on his back,” said coach Fernando Carmona. Warren rushed for more than 200 yards, scored two touchdowns and made a huge defensive play to propel Western to a victory in its opening game.

“He was the heart and soul of our team tonight,” Carmona said. “He didn’t come off the field for one play.”

Carmona said Warren’s 65-yard quarterback keeper touchdown run was the highlight of the game, although Pahrump Valley charged hard in the second half, forcing the Warriors defense to make a crucial defensive stop with five minutes left in the game.

Western (1-0) faces Desert Pines next week.

— Anthony Fenech

Spring Valley wins with late touchdown

With the score knotted at 20 and only 25 seconds left on the clock, Spring Valley quarterback Anton Stallworth scrambled into the end zone to give the Grizzlies a 27-20 victory.

Stallworth scored twice in his impressive performance, and senior running back Jeremy Geary had a big night, creating matchup problems for Clark.

Geary had one score.

“It was a tough loss,” Clark head coach Don Willis said. “I told the guys it was a big step. They’re a perennial playoff team and we’re getting to that measuring stick we just need to get over the hump.”

Willis said Chris Jackson and Alec Kolinoski had good defensive games for the Chargers.

Last season, Spring Valley beat Clark by more than 35 points.

— Anthony Fenech

Bonanza’s running back scores four times in victory over Sierra Vista

Bonanza’s Desean Martin scored four touchdowns behind an offensive line that coach Shawn Dupris said “showed up with a different attitude this week” in the team’s 41-26 victory over Sierra Vista.

“We ran the ball well and came to play,” Dupris said.

Junior Sterling Sprau made quick reads and nice adjustments at quarterback.

Dupris praised the play of senior running back Dontrell Hall. “He had a very nice game. He’s a good athlete and made some great plays,” he said.

— Anthony Fenech

Las Vegas holds on to beat Snow Canyon

Farrell Victor’s five-yard touchdown run on the first play of the fourth quarter proved to be the game-winning score in Las Vegas’ 17-10 victory over Snow Canyon, Utah.

Victor’s touchdown was the only offensive score in a game dominated by defense.

Snow Canyon tight end Jacob Brown let a potential game-tying touchdown pass slip through his hands with only a minute left.

The game was delayed briefly by lightning at about 8:50 p.m.

— Anthony Fenench

Desert Oasis beats Canyon View

Roycen Shepherd scored two touchdowns and sophomore Cambren Heatley had a good day running the ball in Desert Oasis’ 34-7 victory over Canyon View, Utah.

“Our defense played very well,” Diamondbacks coach Faron Seibel said.

The defense made its statement with a big stand on the three-yard line just before the half ended.

— Anthony Fenech